They've made some musical appearances on shows lately and while they aren't nearly as bad as a lot of the other groups in their genre - I tried to sit through, give them a shot, really just listen with an open mind, etc.

I can't. The lead singer's voice hurts me like someone referring to Sum 41 as "punk" and I really wish "quirky clothes that don't really fit and interesting swoosh hair" wasn't what so many bands decide is their "image". Maybe they have some really genius lyrics I can find and appreciate but just never ever ever actually listen to the music - just like my relationship with The Weakerthans. (If you're a fan of the Decemberists and have never heard of the Weakerthans you should check them out. I think you'll like them a lot). If I am totally missing the glory of this band in my narrow and shallow ways let me know. It's entirely possible I'm just missing the point. I saw some mention of them in the same sentence with Orangina. And I'm definitely a huge fan of Orangina.

Oh - and I keep finding all these references to Pavement NOT being a painful new emo bullshit fest but can't find any actual evidence of it. My first exposure to them was working in the wee hours one morning in retail resetting the fixtures in the shoe department with the "planogram" (fake word) team. And the guy who was the floor lead for the shoe department (quite, uptight, didn't know he was gay yet) brought in some of his own music to play. After about 20 minutes I asked him why the hell we were listening to a tape of a bunch of whiney 14 year olds and he informed me that this was Pavement and they were Awesome.

Since then - I keep hearing about this "awesomeness". Please someone point me to at least the one album of theirs that you think is fucking "awesome". If it sounds like Death Texas for Dashboard December then I'll pass. If it's more like Fugazi, embrace, rites of spring, 7 seconds, etc. then I'm at least willing to give it a listen.

Oh all the good things I mentioned here are pre- '99. Sort of the forebears of emo from the DC scene from whence it sprang. Death Cab for Cutie, Dashboard Confessional, Texas is the Reason, etc. are all just annoying whiney bullshit music to take myspace pictures to.

You have to love any beverage (that isn't Yoohoo) that's still producing single servings in tiny glass bottles.

I like Pavement, mainly because Graham Coxon was influenced by them in Blur. Oh and Stephen Malkmus has done some decent solo albums. The Decemberists... hmm 16 military wives and the mariners song are okay. The rest sort of all swirl into the same song.

Hmm his voice is just as bad as those, but the backing distracts you a bit. Hmm I can't recall the name of the other "HOT" band from this year that had a vocalist that was utter, utter, utter shit. Couldn't even hold a note, it's starting to annoy me now trying to remember.

I know, dude.. I know. And like every other person I've been anywhere near in the last 2 months has said exactly the same thing. They are apparently uniformly accepted as wonderful.

And ya know - typically I just don't listen to the music guest on anything. I hear the first like... 10 seconds of the song and turn it off. The Decemberists I listened to the WHOLE THING. And it's just the dude's voice that is killing it for me. The music is usually the thing that hurts me but not with them. The music is fine. I just wish the singer was not the singer. And that they would stop it with the swirly hipster hair. But it's mostly the singer. I've had issues with other "indie bands" like this (whether indie means independent or it means that they really Thurston Moore and can't work out how to really copy him effectively).

I will listen to the album sometime this week or whatever and try to get over the voice. Hell - the first time I heard Kate Bush I was like "why the fuck is this lady screaming at me" but came to understand her particular brand of crazy.